A man behind SOMID. The painstaking work of SOMID was initiated by one man, Michel Duvergne, in the 80s.
Arrived about fifty years ago on the island, this entrepreneur started with the Legros company in charge of the distribution of Gillette and Bourjois products. When he decided to go on his own, the big brands were taken by the distribution giants, he had the opportunity to distribute Piver (Pompeii), and a small makeup brand Hélène Curtis. "The circumstantial competitions have enriched the brand portfolio. Years ago, the GMS did not work like this mechanically, it was all based on trust : we say what we do, we do what we say ! Since, trade has evolved, grown up from his mistakes, SOMID has been able to adapt and reinvent itself. Everything went fast, even too fast ! »He explains to us. "The company is the very symbol of life, we may think, reflect, agir, develop, at the end of the day it is always the quality that wins ! ». This autodidact set up from scratch a well-oiled structure : "if any large group can create 10 SOMID, the difference is in the passion and the will of the service ! We find our profitability by the quality of the service provided by our teams. ” Michel Duvergne has also worked in the past with a group of friends within the Syndicat National des Patrons Moderne et Indépendants (SNPMI) as treasurer. The latter had notably contributed to the arrival of the MSC and Air Outre-Mer (AOM) by investing in the first share, which has considerably changed the transport sector. " Retirement ? »Is a word that Michel Duvergne seems to ignore, always motivated when it comes to business, However,
" The transmission ? This is a real question ! We'll have to think about it seriously ! »
he concludes.
17 women and men on the alert every day
"Nothing is permanent except change"
this famous phrase of Heraclitus is at the heart of the trade of importer-distributor. In 30 years serving mass distribution, SOMID has seen its profession evolve with the creation of signs, Passing by : Prisunic, Ré store (the yellow flower), New Galleries, Continent, the 2000 etc.… The first desire was to offer a wide choice of products whose distribution is time-consuming and very specific.. You all needed
of this small sewing box to repair a damaged garment, the solution was there, under your eyes, in the right place in your usual store ! This is exactly where SOMID's action lies : "The right product, at a good place, at the right time and in the right quantity ! ». SOMID is more than fifteen brands, 3,500 references, and not far from a million hectic products per year. This business has evolved, in order to offer a complete service to the GMS for the management and animation of the most difficult departments to dramatize, and ultimately to satisfy the consumer who is often on the lookout for new products. Some large distribution players (Casino, Carrefour) understood it well then they entrusted the import, inventory management and distribution of their private label (MDD) in beauty and cleaning brushes. SOMID works with suppliers who have obtained the contract at the national level. SOMID is 17 women and men on the alert every day. The complete management of a shelf requires a very significant human investment. for example, when a client hesitates between a pink or blue bar, you should know that this product has been handled 5 times by SOMID staff (stripping, stockpiling, order preparation, delivery, merchandising). A "continuous stream" management that allows the store to limit excessively long, unprofitable out of stock.
A sales and logistics service close to customers
The 6 SOMID salespeople travel to the 4 corners of the island every day from 6 a.m.. Each salesperson reviews nearly 600 references in a hypermarket twice a week. These products have the particularity of being set up according to the needs of the department. For Youssouf Nouroudine, 18 years of experience in the company and sales representative for the North-East sector, "A shelf too full (on stock) dissatisfied with the customer. An empty shelf (sold out) also dissatisfied the customer, we always come back to "The right product, at a good place, at the right time and in the right quantity ! » ».
SOMID also offers the exchange of old collections. Indeed, trends in beauty accessories, in make-up are changeable, and the spokes not extendable. To enable innovation for customers, SOMID undertakes to take back unsold products for the benefit of new products. The old collections will be destroyed, or destocked, or given in the form of donations to charities. Once the order has been confirmed by the store, it's a race against time that starts for the depot service. Alexandre Techer, repository explains to us : "For my team, the administration takes up more and more space ! Indeed, the reception of orders as well as the confirmation of the stores oblige us to point order form by order form before preparation. You should know that we imperatively deliver on D + 1 maximum ". SOMID like all companies had to integrate this new era of digitization. Supermarkets have all equipped themselves with efficient software to trigger orders to limit overstocking.
Strong partnerships with major national distribution players
SOMID has been distributing the products of its partner France Distribution Gestion for 28 years. (FDG Group) who owns the range of household gadgets (CELD), household brush (Logis Bleu), drugstore (Doctissimo), general DIY (Briko et Luxelec). On the beauty accessories sector, FDG holds 16% of PM (source LSA December 2020 with Bo Paris). This figure will certainly be revised upwards in the coming months with the acquisition of a new card well known in the world of beauty accessories. : Babyliss. SOMID has been the representation of La Brosse brands for 12 years & Dupont (LBD) which celebrated its 175 years of existence, leader in the beauty brush market with 23% PM (source LSA December 2020 with Glamor Paris), cleaning brush (with Elephant, Vileda, M-colors as well as Carrefour private labels, Intermarket – Suitable) makeup (with Miss Den, parapharmacy (with Steripan) and oral hygiene (Efiseptyl). LBD launched new brands of men’s beauty accessories in 2020 (with Volt) which entered the local market at the end of the year and also a Vegan range (with La Fabrique Green) entry into stores at the start of the second semester. LBD remains a company committed to the production of recycled products in household and beauty brushes. Not to mention DPH products such as Diamond Enamel (the whiteness expert), Nair (leader of the hair removal market in the USA) or even Batiste (UK leader in dry shampoos), SOMID continues its development through new distributions including cash and dry groceries. In the 1st quarter of 2021, she launches Quézac sparkling mineral water, bought by the Ogeu group from the giant Nestlé Waters in 2017.
"And that is calledorio QUEZAC ! »
this slogan, well known in the past is therefore appearing on the island with a development in two stages. “We will first start with the distribution of 20/80 of the range, with bottles of intense and original water (in the 115cl and 0 format,50cl), then by flavored waters (lemon-lime and peach-thyme). "Explains Réhan Mamoodjee, responsible for the operation and development of SOMID, before adding :
"This little-known water benefits from a perfect balance of mineral salts which allows better recovery from fatigue and in particular facilitates digestion. It is only natural that we decided to embark on this new challenge with the specific will that SOMID has known since its creation ! ».
By force of self-sacrifice and adaptation, SOMID has been able to reconcile quality and choice in a highly competitive sector where the assortment of brands guarantees a diversified response to customer needs
